Hand of Fate - Resolutions
by Twilight Warrior 627
Summary: Fate. A four letter word used to signify one thought: a path that has no other way out. What was set in motion long ago has taken a direction for the Prince of Darkness and his heir. Now the two will understand their new roles in the grandest play on the stage of Destiny. But there are those who will stand by as their puppets pull on their strings.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story.

Author's note: Welcome to the side story to a companion piece, promptly entitled Hand of Fate – Resolutions. The series will have another companion piece to it before this series is all said and done. It has been something of a long time coming. But sometimes things can prevent your muse from working with you. Anyway, This story will make more use of a certain character who had a great deal of potential from the source material I'm using but was cut down fairly quickly after his debut. So this story will give a greater deal of focus on him. With that in mind, this story will go along with the main theme which is that fate is defined as something that happens no matter what. But if we have free will, then fate is pretty much meaningless, and a throwaway concept, something that half of the shows in this story have shown in canon to be true. Anyway, hope this opening act to Resolutions.

Bernhard Castle

Castlevania City, Wygol

Early November, 1999

Victor and Haniel ventured through the castle until they came to a circular room. The place in question appeared decadent and had experienced the passages of time. As the warrior looked around, he noticed a section of the wall that had ornately crafted dragons on the sides with a skull at the top. As he got closer, he stepped on what appeared to be shards of glass.

"What is this?" the warrior asked.

"Remember I said there were things you wouldn't like? This is one of them. Let me show you what exactly was here," the archangel said. He raised his hands, which were covered in a silvery glow before it filled the room. The glow disappeared and the room appeared as though time had no affect on it. He looked to the section of wall with the dragon carvings and saw a mirror that was glowing. Victor approached the object and ran his hands across the reflective surface, only to see that t appeared as if he ran his fingers through water.

"What is this sorcery?" he asked.

"This is the mirror of Fate," the archangel said.

"The mirror of..." Victor said as he reached down his shirt and pulled out the glass shard that hung around his neck.

"Yes. But this is simply an image of what the mirror once was. The mirror is capable of showing where your path can lead. However, therein lies a problem. The embodiment of the mirror has a tendency of subtly manipulating anyone who peers into it into falling directly into that path. And it doesn't help that there are others who follow the same operating motto," Haniel started.

"You the Fates? Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis. What would they have to do with anything?" the warrior asked.

"As I said, they operate under similar notions. It wasn't too long ago that I found out from one of my younger brothers that Atropos has been working alongside Heaven."

"Is that really so hard to believe? I had read that Pan fought alongside the brotherhood and for God himself."

"It is when you consider that outside of my brothers, Raphael and Michael, I am the first one to find this out. No one else knows this. I believed that my brothers and sisters working with me have their suspicions but I've been instructed to not say anything yet," Haniel explained.

"You say this as if there's some plot to unfold. What would Michael and Raphael gain from this?"

"I don't know the exact answer. But it doesn't bode well. If worse comes to worse, I wouldn't be much of a threat to Michael, nor would many other archangels. Lucifer is a notable exception, as is Samael. But he's been missing since the rebellion. Which is why you've been recruited," the archangel said.

"I'm not only changing my supposed fate, but possibly others as well," the warrior surmised.

"Yes. Now go."

Bioquimek Corporation

Science District

Castlevania City, Wygol

Gabriel and Alucard were transported outside of the building of a large corporation near the city border. They looked around and noticed that Raziel was no longer in their company.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot stay here. There is someone powerful here who would detect my presence. You'll have to proceed inside without me. But you'll know when I'm present," the angel said through telepathy.

"Shall we proceed Father?" the younger vampire said. Gabriel nodded before he looked to his wrists. Using his claws, he dug into his wrists and drew blood. The second saw Gabriel's blood flowing around him before it coalesced and turned into tendrils that were coming together on his torso. The self-proclaimed 'Prince of Darkness' blood suddenly formed into his famous red coat, complete with black pants and boots, along with red gauntlets on his forearms.

"Would've been a nice trick to learn," Alucard said dryly. The father could only smirk and chuckle at his son's wit.

"We should proceed. There's a door we can enter," Gabriel said. The elder vampire lifted the shuttered door and the two proceeded inside. The dark-haired elder noticed two spots on a large cable. He cut his wrists and flung blood which had hardened and cut into the wires, allowing the door to be open. The two entered the next room but heard the sound of large and heavy footfalls around the corner. The two stuck to the wall, with Alucard peering around the edge only to find a pale hulking figure in red armor and carrying a large cannon.

"What the hell?!" he whispered so the giant wouldn't hear.

"It's called a Golgoth guard. Despite their size, they're very weak and not very bright. But beware of that weapon. It's being powered by a supernatural energy source," they heard Raziel said. Before they could do anything else, the shutter door suddenly dropped, which caused the guard to come investigate. The pair heard the foot falls and double back to the small opening in the wall which was covered by shadows.

"We'll need to distract him. I'll grab his attention while you sneak behind him," Alucard said before darting out from the alcove. Gabriel looked down at the rats and felt a familiar sensation. He concentrated and turned into a black mist before he suddenly found himself surrounded by rats and his stature very close to the ground. He saw Alucard grab the guard's attention before his son dashed to another part of the hallway. He led the other rats to another alcove around the corner and resumed his normal form.

The guard chased Alucard to the end of the hallway and shot a blast at his prey. The result was a large explosion of energy that nearly caught the vampire off guard if not for his fast reflexes. Alucard could feel the demonic energy that the weapon fired off, wondering how it was possible that technology was capable of such a feat. The white-haired vampire turned into a clear mist and slipped through the barred gate and hid in the shadows along the walls. The guard didn't know what to think except that this was a new being to give him the slip so easily. Unknown to him, Gabriel snuck behind him and levitated before he turned into tendrils and blood and entered the guard. Alucard reformed and saw what happened with eyes wide.

"Again, would've been nice to do something like that," the younger vampire noted.

"With your vampiric state, I doubt it would've been possible" Gabriel said through the guard's gravely deep and masculine voice. He awkwardly, if no clumsily, tuned and headed for the door that the hulking creature was guarding.

"Not the most graceful movements I've seen in my time," Alucard quipped.

"My blood is destroying this creature. I wouldn't have much time to manipulate him. I appreciate the humor son, but I would kindly ask that you shut up for a few moments," he said as he maneuvered the guard to the door. He approached a handle that was high off the ground. The handle lowered and Gabriel moved the guard's face close to it, seeing that there was a retinal scanner. Gabriel was thankful that he could see into the guard's memories when he possessed him. The scan allowed for the door to open and the creature had disintegrated.

Alucard went to follow but stopped as he saw the creature's cannon on the ground, and broken. As he looked at the cracks where the weapon was broken, he glimpsed a dark-blue, glowing object. After dismantling the weapon, he found an orb that held what appeared to be some kind of energy contained inside. As he held the orb, he felt a malevolent energy pulsating, as if it were pushing to get out.

"Careful," Gabriel said, appearing next to his son.

"What is this?"

"It's ensnared demon energy," the father said.

"Demon energy?!"

"Yes. Before the siege of my castle, there were scientists, scholars, and occultists who had encounters with demons. Somehow, they managed to extract the power of these demons and trap it in these orbs. But the power is dangerous. But these orbs have had others as you can see. Those same scholars and magicians had found that the energy is infinite and allows for technology to not only be compatible but to keep it working for an eternity," Gabriel said as Alucard thought on his words.

"What would happen if this power were used on a human?"

"The same as the technology I supposed. Whoever has it can use it for as long as they would want. How much they are capable of using depends on the demon I suppose. Why?"

"Raziel told me of a supernatural warrior known as the slayer. The first was a young woman in prehistoric times who had the power magically forced into her by a trio of warlocks. When she died, it passed to someone else. And so on and so forth, always to different girls when their predecessors died. An organization known as the watcher's council supposedly trains them. Although they don't do a great job since slayers don't last very long, especially working by themselves."

Gabriel looked to his son and brows furled ruminated on the tale in question. He had remembered coming across different records from some knights of the brotherhood meeting different women with abilities that matched that description. The records said that said woman was a warrior gifted with supernatural enhancements and that she was apparently chosen by God. The claims were dismissed by the brotherhood as Carmilla was the first to have been blessed with her unique abilities, and every member of the order with unique abilities were each blessed with heavenly power. Yet none of the records regarding the council and this slayer mentioned any such thing.

"If those men had done that to young girl, then must've been desperate. But that's still no excuse. We'll have to leave that for another time. We should get going," Gabriel said.

The two vampires proceeded to the newly open door and waited before they were allowed entry to the next area. Unfortunately, they found two more guards protecting the entryway to the next room. The two vampires heard the familiar sounds of bats squealing which confused before they remembered that the city was built on and around the old castle. Gabriel concentrated and called the bats towards him and formed black mist in his hand. He focused on the guard tot he right of the room and directed the bats to surround him. They obeyed and the guard was swarmed as the mist clouded him. The other guard walked over and help to swat the bats away.

"Go!" Alucard said to his father. The younger vampire warrior snuck behind the unsuspecting guard swatting at the creature while Gabriel climbed an adjacent ladder and climbed to the next room. The next thing it knew, it was sliced in half with a blade covered in a blue glow. Gabriel looked back and saw the first guard was suddenly bisected by his son's sword. He looked on in surprise as the swarm of bats left and became a part of him while the second guard looked at his son. The hulking creature was caught off guard before Alucard's sword was suddenly surrounded by flames and the guard was stabbed in the chest. The sword was withdrawn, causing the guard to drop to it's knees only for Alucard to slice it in half as well. The son looked up to the father and suddenly turned into a cloud and bats and reformed by his father.

"We don't have much time old man," he said before he trekked on the steel bars and landed on a metal platform with his father behind him. The two followed the path of the platform, taking them higher of the ground floor and to another hallway.

As the two vampires entered the hallway, they both stopped at the sight before them. They saw what appeared to be ghostly visages covered in translucent white clouds of their former human selves in their prime. The two figures smirked and turned to walk into the light that covered the other end of the hallway, causing the two vampires to follow. As they came closer tot he light, there were flashes of light with the steel walls being replaced with stone for every flash. As they were covered in the light, it suddenly faded and they found themselves in a stone corridor.

"What just happened?" Alucard said.

"I'm not sure."

The two proceeded walking down the hallway before they found themselves outside. They expected to see the skyline of the city, but instead found themselves staring in awe at the towers of the castle in it's former glory.

"What miracle is this?" Gabriel said. They proceed around the circular pathway and came to another door which they opened.

As they came to the balcony of the next room, they found a grand ballroom with a waterfall in the center. On the other side of the room, the ghostly visages, which appeared more solid, stared with smug grins on their faces.

"Look at them. To think that we would've become such pathetic creatures of the night," said Trevor former self.

"Indeed. It's a pity they haven't been ended till now," said Gabriel's former self as they walked away.

The two vampires made use of the large chandeliers and jumped from one to the next before they made it to the opposite balcony. They proceeded around the corner where they found a long hallway with the end being another room that held an altar. The two vampires could see a blue brilliantly cut gem on the altar. Before either made a move, blood began forming on the floor and heading towards them.

"Don't leave us my lord."

"You belong to us my prince."

The two vampires looked at the blood pooling on the floor and made a mad dash for the next room. The run was not easy as the blood caused the floor to break part, making them jump around until they reached the end. They jumped across a large gap when a giant stone golem containing the gem and spewing blood rose before Gabriel smashed through it. The two landed at the altar and turned to find the golem reforming itself with the blood drawing the pieces together. Gabriel stared at the animated structure before he opened his right hand, where a sword with the blade being made out of blue energy suddenly appeared. Alucard thought back to his first hand experience of the sword's power as he remembered being sliced and feeling as though ice had danced along and covered his nerves. Gabriel spun the sword in his hands before he charged the golem.

The creature had all of it's cracks between the stones covered in the mysterious blood that pooled it together. Gabriel immediately hacked away at it before the structure swung it's arm at him, pushing him away. To the vampires, it appeared as though it switched tactics as the blood changed to forming in the cracks of the legs. Gabriel dispelled his sword and his right arm was covered in a red eldritch gauntlet. He charged again and summoned a red whip that attacked the blood covered legs of the golem before the blood receded into the equivalent of a chest cavity. Gabriel jumped onto the creature, while summoning his sword, and pierced it's chest before pulling it out and making blood spew. The blood spread along the cracks, this time in the entire torso of the golem. The head looked at it's body before focusing on Gabriel.

"You'll never leave here!"

The gem that served as the golem's left eye suddenly glowed as the creature began stomping towards the red-coated vampire. Gabriel jumped and attacked the creature again, managing to stay airborne as he hacked away. Eventually, the blood receded again, making Gabriel hang onto it's chest again. Gabriel pushed the sword in, but had greater difficulty as if the blood was protecting the golem. As Gabriel continued pushing in, blood shot out in spurts until finally, the blade was shoved entirely into the stone with the point of the point pushed out the other side of the golem. Gabriel pulled his sword back out at the same time that the creature exploded, sending stones in every direction.

"You belong to this place. You belong to us."

Gabriel landed, which was followed by the head of the golem landing in front of him. Gabriel approached the sculpture and took off the stone and pulled the gem out. He could feel the power from the gem and absorbed it into himself. Alucard ran up to his father, still amazed that he retained his combat prowess.

"What was that?!" Alucard said.

"I don't know. But it felt...familiar. As if I had heard those voices before. There's something more to this than we originally thought. We should hurry and get out of here," Gabriel said as he saw the waterfall that would lead them out.

He focused his power and formed a blue ball of energy before launching at the water. The falling liquid immediately froze over, making an ice wall. The two vampires climbed the ice and reached the top of it before the ice turned back into a waterfall. As Alucard noticed the boxes, he saw one had fallen over and an odd hourglass fell out. He approached the box and picked up the hourglass and held it and felt a similar feeling to the ensnared demon energy.

"Incredible," Gabriel said, as Alucard turned to him.

"What is this?"

"It's one of Stolas' clocks. Capable of slowing down time," the elder of the pair said.

"The demon prince? He made these."

"Yes. And there's more. There are vials of tears from saints, said to heal and give life to the sick and wounded. The seal containing knowledge left behind by Alastor, imparting his knowledge off combat to whoever unleashes it. And the eggs of Dodo birds, who seek out nearby treasures. With all of these relics here in one place, if they're still in the castle in the present, then we have a problem on our hands," Gabriel said.

"Whoever would've unearthed these would have unbelievable power..." Alucard said.

"Yes. But we can think on that later. Right now, we need to figure out a way to remain to the corporation," the elder said as they followed the way out. Upon exiting, they could hear the heavy footfalls of armor clad feet. What they saw were two gray creatures with large single-edged swords, with mandibles extending from their mouths and large stubs jutting from their backs. They appeared to be in conflict with the visages of their former selves. The creatures stopped and looked at the two human-like vampires and knelt before them.

"My Lord! My prince!" the creature said before it was surrounded by the blood that chased Gabriel and Alucard.

"We will kill anyone who tries to take you away!"

The blood surrounded the two vampires and sprouted bloody tendrils that attempted to subdue them. The tendrils finally ensnared the creatures and dragged them under. The two spirits jumped onto the nearby balconies and watched in interest. The vampires arose from the blood and stared at their master and blood brother with piercing red eyes.

"You will not stand in our way!" Gabriel said.

"You're not our lord anymore!" the vampires replied.

The first vampire charged before Gabriel summoned his shadow whip and decapitated the creature, with Alucard dealing a horizontal slash to the other, killing it in the same manner. More vampires were summoned and the father and son duo swung and slashed at the monstrous vampires until only one remained. Gabriel summoned his void sword and swiped at his former minion, breaking it's sword and knocking it back. Gabriel leapt at it as it fell to the ground and let out a mighty roar as he held his sword ready to bring down the final blow. As Gabriel landed, he pierced his former minion in the mouth with his mystical sword, causing the monstrous creature to disintegrate into ash. Gabriel pulled the sword from the floor and looked to the two ghostly images.

"Who are you?" the elder vampire asked.

"That should be obvious, don't you think?" Trevor said.

"Hold on. You're not us. You don't even smell human. You smell...pure. Show your true selves!" Alucard demanded.

The two doppelgangers glowed white for a moment before they revealed themselves to be Raziel and Sachiel.

"You?!" Gabriel asked, directing his look towards Sachiel.

"You know each other?" the son asked.

"Yes. Your father and I go back a ways. Just as You and I do. But that is another matter. We know appearing as your former selves was...much. But there's a reason you needed to see yourselves as you were and still are," Sachiel began.

"We haven't been those men in a long time," Gabriel lamented.

"And there's nothing worse than a man hitting himself over the head with his own self-pity," Raziel said. Gabriel looked at the archangel as though he was ready to tear into him, but the celestial being returned it with a cool look, practically defying the vampire.

"What my brother means is that you have suffered more than enough throughout the centuries with the misery of never having eternal rest that should've been yours. But with the brotherhood doing what they did, it couldn't be helped at times. But that does not mean that it had to be that way. That's why things are changing now. You two will help change the world in a grander scale," Sachiel explained.

"And how will we do that?" Alucard asked.

"You'll see soon enough. But for you Gabriel, it means resolving your own past and finding your destiny. We'll guide you to the next place that you must travel. Go now," Raziel said before he and Sachiel vanished, followed by a door opening.

The two vampires walked through the doorway to find an enclosed room with a large circular wooden surface in the center with a cylindrical device attached. Gabriel seemed to recognize it and placed his hand on the pedestal where his hand was suddenly pierced, causing him to draw blood. The liquid life-force circled the rim of the circular panel before it opened and the material inside formed what Alucard could only assume was the rumored three-dimensional model of the entire castle. Alucard had heard from Fred that technology like this was rumored to be in development but found it hard to believe that it had been culminated during his and his father's earlier years.

"So what now?" Alucard said. Gabriel looked at the model before he heard something whisper to visit the city below.

"We take a trip. Downtown," Gabriel said with a smirk towards his son. Alucard looked at his father with one brow raised before Gabriel grabbed him and the two formed into a black mist that moved itself into the model.

Author's note: For anyone who has played and beaten Lords of Shadow 2, I had intended to use the story of the game for the crossover series long before the game was released. However, at the time, there wasn't much information except for what teasers showed, and I could only guess at what was used and how they'd come into play. So where as Gabriel has his weapons in his story where he shouldn't, I will explain that later on in this side story to a side story. Hope you all enjoyed the opening act to this saga.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own anything, so please don't sue.

Author's note: So this is essentially a take on Lords of Shadow 2 where Gabriel goes on a journey where during him trying to prevent Satan from destroying the world, he also has to regain his powers. One of he biggest differences between the game and this story is that Alucard didn't stab Gabriel with the Crissaegrim, which caused Gabriel's powers to separate from him, including one of his vampiric powers. So Gabriel has most of his powers intact and only needs to acquire the expanded powers like shooting Void and Chaos energy shots. So Satan's acolytes won't play as big a part for this part of the series/multiverse. As I mentioned on the Facebook group, there have been elements in the Lords of Shadow 2 game that are mentioned in the in-game files about certain histories regarding certain characters that make it obvious with what the creators had intended, which is to get players to think while also hinting at what the truth of the matters were. For example, Gabriel in LOS2 could be damaged heavily by the Golgoth guard's cannon's, and the information on ensnared demon's showed that they provided infinite energy when used. It's one of those where you can connect the dots, as opposed to coming up with the most random and crazy theories about the game. Anyway, here's chapter 2.

Bernhard Castle

City of the Damned

Gabriel and Alucard reformed after shooting out of the 3-D model of the castle. As the doors opened, they found themselves in a rather large area with the floors being covered in lava and the gears that functioned to various contraptions continued moving. The two vampires moved to the cliff edge of where they stood and looked around, before they felt a strange sense of foreboding. They turned around to see the slim frame of a woman crawling towards them. What was strange was that she was crawling towards them while bending over backwards. When she came near them, she stood up straight, showing that she was wearing a purple dress that appeared somewhat ragged, with snakes wrapped around her torso.

"Euryale," Gabriel said addressing her.

"Beware the jailors. They no longer serve their master. You must tread carefully my lord. Medusa has the Chaos power you seek," Euryale said before she crawled away.

"That wasn't disturbing at all," Alucard spoke up. Gabriel raised one eyebrow before they continued walking.

The two came to a particular chamber that held a giant hole as if it were made fro prisoners before they both leapt over the opening and continued onward. They continued walking when they were suddenly approached by another girl dressed similarly to Euryale but with a yellow dress.

"Stheno. We're looking for Medusa. Where can we find her?" the elder vampire asked.

"I don't know. But the dwarf can tell you. He must be freed from his prison," she said before she crawled away in a similar manner. A grimace formed on Gabriel's face.

"Is there a problem?" Alucard asked his father.

"I'd prefer to keep that troll locked away and out of my hair. It was frustrating dealing with him as a human," Gabriel explained. Alucard simply nodded before they continued on and found themselves in another part of the city, high above the lower levels. They found a platform attached to the cliff-edge with a mechanism that appeared as if it controlled it. Alucard looked at the cage that was held about the other platforms that were arranged out int the center.

"What the hell is that?" the son asked as he spotted a diminutive person in a black hood with green eyes and black irises.

"That...is the dwarf, otherwise known as a chupacabras," Gabriel said with a sneer.

"That thing can help us?" Alucard said. Gabriel ignored the question, and the sense of irritation forming in his mind, and moved over to the console to manipulate the platform. He managed to move it over to the edge leading to the cage, with other platforms forming behind it. As the two walked over to the cage, the diminutive creature looked up happily.

"Oh! My lord! You're here. How may I be of service to you my prince?" the dwarf asked.

"I'm looking for Medusa. I'm told you can show me where," the vampire said.

"Oh! Oh yes! But I must be free. Then I can show you the way," the chupacabras said, enthusiastically.

"Try any of your tricks, and it'll be the last thing you ever do," Gabriel said as he and Alucard went and made their way across the room. After managing to lower the cage, they were able to sue the platform to take the cage over to the large statue and broke the seal containing the pint-sized creature. The little...man danced happily before it teleported and moved in front of the large door. The dwarf waved at the door and it opened.

"There you are my lord," the dwarf said.

"Get out of our way," Gabriel replied as it strolled passed the creature. The dwarf complied and quickly moved so as not to anger the powerful warrior.

"Oh, my lord! If I could humbly request that I reopen my shop, to use at your disposal," it said before it continued, "At a most gracious discount of course. I am happy to serve you, oh powerful one."

The creature disappeared to parts unknown making Gabriel shake his head at the creature's antics.

"That was the dwarf? As annoying as he was, I don't understand the frustration," the son said.

"Imagine for a second having that thorn suddenly appear and steal your belongings and make you give chase at any given time that you're trying to save the world," Gabriel said.

The two proceeded onward where they found two stairways going different directions with the path to the right being destroyed. As they continued left, they saw a large tower in the center which was attached by giant chains. The two vampires pressed onward after making their way across the large row of chain links to the tower. As they reached the tower, they reached the front entrance gate, but were unable to proceed due tot he console which lacked a key to open the gate. Their moment of disappointment ended when two jailers were summoned through the blood that pursued them through the Bernhard's wing of the castle. The two wasted no time summoning their own sword and quickly cutting the unfortunate jailers down, making one of them drop a key. Gabriel retrieved it and attached it to the console where they proceeded through the open gate.

The path would lead to a switch that rested within a statue of an angelic knight. After activating the switch, the two vampires proceeded down a spiral staircase that led to an underground hallway. As the two found two ways to proceed, Alucard noticed what appeared to be a shrine in a dimly lit room below the hallway.

"Father. What is that?" the younger vampire asked as he noticed a statue.

The elder of the two approached the ledge and he noticed the multiple tentacles, eyes and mouths. He looked back to his son before replying, "That is, or was, a navigator. After I destroyed the Forgotten One and returned to this plane, I went mad. I could hear voices inside my mind, never ceasing, reminding me of what I had lost after sending Satan back to Hell. When I regained my composure, a strange visitor came to this plane and we met. He helped me to get around the castle and fed off of my power to do so. He split himself into multiple physical beings that stayed in different parts of the castle."

"Can he be reawakened?" the son asked.

"Perhaps," Gabriel said before he turned to the other end of the hallway, "But we'll leave him for now."

The two proceeded down the other end where it appeared that there was a female statue that was on fire. As the two approached it, the statue came alive, "My lord. And the heir. It does my heart good to see you alive and well."

"Cut the pleasantries," Gabriel said with as mannerable a voice as he could muster. "I need a power here. And it seems you possess."

The statue nodded and the flames dissipated, showing her skin to be scaly before the flames reformed into a red gem in her hands. Gabriel prepared to take it when he and his son heard hissing sounds. They turned to see Euryale and Stheno behind them.

"Your sister isn't here," Alucard said.

"On the contrary, young heir. She approaches now," Stheno said as she pointed to her left, where a young girl in a green ragged dress approached. When she opened her eyes, they glowed red and she spat blood at her sisters, the liquid began pooling underneath and consuming them.

As the three sisters disappeared, a rumbling beneath the floor was felt, when it suddenly erupted and a tentacle sprang forth. The two vampires ducked before the appendage swung down and destroyed the floor making them fall through. Inside what appeared to be a giant cavern, they looked up and saw a giant, three-headed serpent, which the world knew to be the Gorgon. The middle head gazed to the ground and its eyes glowed which brought forth a wall of stone. Gabriel summoned the Chaos Claws while Alucard channel the Igneas blade through the Crissaegrim.

The two managed to bring down the stone wall and stared at the giant monster. Alucard turned around and saw five tentacles appear at the back of the platform.

"I'll take care of them. You handle handle the sisters!" the younger vampire said as he charged off.

Gabriel turned back tot he three heads and jumped high before he attacked. He delivered a left-right combo before knocking down the beast. The Gorgon got back and sucked in a large amount of air before firing a ball of flame past Gabriel. As the dark haired man turned, he saw the flame headed toward his son.

"Trevor get down!" Gabriel shouted. Alucard turned just the fireball was about to hit, when he changed the blade to channel the Glaciem blade and swung at the fireball. The flame immediately dissipated, making Gabriel wonder even more about the weapon his son carried before he turned his attention back to the Gorgon. The elder vampire jumped at the right face and pulled the tongue from it's mouth, bringing it down. With one punch with his Chaos Claws, Gabriel destroyed the head leaving a bleeding stub. Meanwhile, Alucard continued slashing at the tails that would regrow whenever he struck one down.

The elder vampire jumped onto right face while summoning his Chaos Claws, and pounded into the head when the eyes glowed green. Gabriel could feel the Gorgon's power trying to turn him to stone, but his power resisted and the warrior pushed his fist into the monster's eye and brought the creature down. Alucard jumped over his father and plunged the Crissaegrim into the creature's neck before he pulled and sliced it off. The monster rose again, this time hoping to finish the fight. The Gorgon's final head opened it's mouth and sucked in a large amount of air. Gabriel saw an opening and used his Void power to launch a freezing projectile at it's mouth. The creature reared back and breathed fire at the two. Gabriel jumped in front of his son to shield him and began glowing with red energy. Gabriel clenched his fists and the flames were dissipated. Gabriel stood up and stretched his arm up when red energy shot out and dark tendrils surrounded the limb, forming what appeared to be a dragon head. Gabriel launched it at the monster's chest and it was impaled before it pulled out, with a giant heart in it's mouth.

The heart continued beating until it stopped and turned to stone, which was soon followed by the Gorgon turning to stone as well. The heart broke into pieces and revealed a glowing red gem inside. Gabriel knelt down and pulled it out and absorbed it into his own power.

"What the hell is happening Father?!" Alucard said. "What is this entity haunting you?"

Gabriel looked at his son before replying, "I'll explain as we leave."

The two made their way back to a platform leading out of the caves and into the city. They found themselves back at the entrance of an elevator with the Chupacabras's face. Gabriel felt irritation well up within him but decided they should go anyway. Inside, Alucard looked to his father as he set the elevator to descend.

"What happened to you?"

"I went mad," Gabriel said. "After I destroyed the Forgotten One, I came back to the castle. I started remembering everything I had done, consciously and unconsciously. I became angry at God, the world, and myself. Then the voices started. They compelled me to revel in my anger, to lash out. And I did. I was convinced that God had used me to as a pawn to do away with the Dark lords, only for me to take their place. But it seems that something else has been at work."

Alucard thought on this and wondered how this all could've happened. He remembered the mirror showing him what had happened to his father. But he never saw anything that happened since they first fought when he rose as a vampire. Then again, he never wanted to look in the mirror after he and Simon went their separate ways. The elevator finally stopped and the doors opened. The two walked through the small hallway and turned a corner to find a shop with piles of books.

"Ah! My prince and the heir! Welcome to my humble shop," the dwarf said before he teleported behind the counter.

"If there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask!" he said again.

Alucard looked at the shelf behind the diminutive creature. "You have a number of powerful relics here at your disposal. You could've taken the castle if you wanted."

"Oh no, young heir. I am many things but a warrior is not one of them," the dwarf said. "Besides, my activities are to serve my Prince. Now how may I help you both?"

The two vampires looked around and decided to take as many of the Saint Tears as were available, as well as the Dodo eggs. The two took their items and turned to leave when the dwarf caught their attention. "Wait! There's one more thing."

The dwarf threw a medallion at Gabriel who caught it and looked at it. The medallion in question was a metal ring with a dragon's face in the center with it's body and wings wrapped and curled around the ring.

"The Dragon has returned," the Chupacabras said. The two turned around when a mirror caught their attention. The two looked at it as they felt it's power emanating from it.

"What is this?" Gabriel said.

"Oooooh! This is the Kleidos Mirror sir! I haven't used this in such a long time-"

"Just tell us what the damn thing does!" Gabriel snapped. Alucard looked at his father in shock and amusement.

"Of course. The Kleidos is a series of challenges that only the bravest warriors have faced. What those challenges are, I cannot say. But they are certainly formidable."

Gabriel looked to his son and motioned towards the elevator. The two entered and made it back to the surface, where Raziel was waiting for them.

"I see the Dragon has regrown his fangs," the archangel said.

"Another archangel?" Gabriel said to his son.

Alucard looked to his father before addressing him, "Yes. He's been helping since I woke up a few years ago."

"You should be proud. Your boy is fine warrior," the celestial being said. Gabriel smiled sadly, knowing circumstances prevented him from being the one to raise his son.

"So where to next?"

"This next place may very well surprise you," Raziel said before he extended his hand. "Grab on."

The two vampires complied before they vanished.

Carmilla's Lair

The three appeared inside an intersection of hallways with one door headed east and another headed north. The north door opened and they could see a room that led to a large library. Raziel stepped forward before he turned to the father and son.

"A word of warning: the challenge you face in this next room will bring out things you'd prefer to forget. It can either overtake you, or you can conquer it. Be careful," Raziel said before he vanished in a burst of light.

The two vampires stepped forward and through the doorway, when Alucard suddenly stopped. A red mist formed around him and he disappeared. Gabriel looked to find his son, when someone approached. She had long dark hair, wore a dark dress with red armor plates on her shoulders and chest, leaving a good bit of cleavage revealing an ample bosom. The woman stood before him before kneeling down.

"My lord."

Gabriel looked at her face, "Carmilla. This must be a dream."

Carmilla stood up and looked at him with a seductive smile. "And you were never to wake again, would it matter?"

"I destroyed you a long time ago."

"But that was not you then," she said as she cupped his face. She pulled him in for a kiss. Gabriel gave in for a moment when an odd but familiar scent caught his attention. He pushed Carmilla off and grabbed her by the throat.

"Who the hell are you?! Where is my son?!" Carmilla laughed maniacally before she transformed into a red mist and floated about the red, and over a few sets of bones, before leaving to the next area. The skeletons came to life, both wielding a sword and shield. Gabriel summoned his Chaos Claws and charged.

Alucard fell into what he could only describe as a cold, dark gray abyss filled with stone ruins. He looked down and found his feet in a pool of blood that seemed to encompass the entire floor. The pool rippled and a hulking form rose out of it. The beast seemed to be composed of bloody appendages, with a mangled skull for a face. The face split open and a large tentacle with Gabriel's face shot out.

"I thought I took care of you a long time ago!" the entity said.

Alucard summoned the Crissaegrim and held it ready to defend himself. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I am the dark shadow that chills the hearts of men. I am the hate, fury, and vengeance! I am the destiny of the Dragon!"

Alucard looked oddly at the entity and took a whiff. Since his resurrection as a vampire, he always knew his father's scent. In spite of the massive power that the elder vampire claimed, he always knew his father when he felt it. This thing was nothing like his father. But the smell was much like the Daemon Lord that he fought nearly a millennium ago.

"Know this demon: you will haunt my father no more!"

"You can never destroy me!" the entity said before it's face slunk back into the body.

The hulking body pulled itself up and proceeded towards the vampire. Alucard jumped to the side as the creature lifted it's left arm and brought it down. The warrior began hacking away at at the bloody limb and managed to deal damage. The creature jumped into the air and sprouted wings before slamming into the ground, creating a shockwave. The vampire jumped onto the creature's back and dug his arm into it's body. Alucard pulled out a glowing red orb and placed it within his coat.

The creature's imitation face sprung back out again and spewed blood out at the vampire, who only dodged to the side. The creature used it's other arm to bring down on Alucard, but the warrior channeled the Igneas blade into his sword, deflecting the attack and then slashed away at the torso. The body fell down and the face sprung forth once again, which Alucard deftly attacked. Before he could bring down the tip of the blade, he stopped as a rumble went through the ground.

"Neither you nor your father will defeat me. I'll always be with him," the creature as it sank into the pool of blood. "Always."

Darkness surrounded Alucard before he found himself back inside the library. His father looked to him with his Chaos Claws summoned. The two sensed another presence and turned to the gate leading to the other side of the room. The gate opened partially and the two vampires approached, with Alucard channeling the Glaciem blade. As the vampires came closer, the door opened wider. Gabriel dispelled his fiery gauntlets while his son dispelled his sword. The two looked at the newcomer with wide eyes, thinking they'd never lay eyes on the visitor ever again. Gabriel's mouth opened at her appearance, almost thinking it wasn't true.

"Marie?!"


End file.
